Kilburn is a suburb in the inner north of Adelaide, South Australia. The suburb borders Blair Athol, Gepps Cross, Wingfield, Regency Park and Prospect. Kilburn has the same postcode (5084) as Blair Athol.

History

Kilburn was originally named Chicago. It was renamed Kilburn in 1930, after the Yatala South District Council received a complaint from the General Post Office, indicating neglecting to include "South Australia" could result in letters being sent to Chicago in America. Kilburn was previously the name of a small subdivision adjoining the area.

William Shierlaw, a draper of Adelaide, applied the name Chicago to the suburb in 1893--the same year as the famous World's Columbian Expositon in Chicago. Shierlaw and his son visited Chicago, Illinois in 1894, during an 8.5 month pleasure trip around the world.

Five days after the Chicago Post Office opened in 1911, the Deputy Postmaster-General said, "There is no likelihood of it causing confusion with respect to correspondence intended for Chicago, USA."

A separate project involving 14 townhomes in Kilburn was completed in March 2022. It was named Little Chicago after the original suburb name.

Education

The only school in Kilburn is St Brigids Primary School, a private Catholic school located on Le Hunte Street. It caters for year levels Reception to Year 6. St Gabriels Primary School is located nearby in the easterly adjacent suburb of Enfield, on Whittington Street.

Transport

Kilburn is a 10- to 15-minute drive from the Adelaide central business district. The suburb is well-serviced by public transport. Kilburn station, located on Railway Terrace, has services that go to and from the city.

Adelaide Metro G10 and G11 bus services pass through Kilburn and Blair Athol along Prospect Road. Buses routes 235, 237, 238 and 239 traverse Kilburn along Churchill Road and terminate at Kilburn, Valley View, Mawson Lakes University of South Australia and Armada Arndale respectively.

Sport

Kilburn Speedway took place on the Kilburn Oval, on the corner of Carroll Avenue and Churchill Road (34°51′39″S 138°34′56″E/34.86083°S 138.58222°E/ -34.86083; 138.58222). It opened during February 1946 and closed in 1951. The venue hosted motorcycle speedway and held the South Australian Individual Speedway Championship four times from 1946 to 1950.

The Kilburn Football & Cricket Club was created as the result of an amalgamation of the Kilburn Football Club and the Kilburn Cricket Club in 1974. The club uses the name Chics because the Kilburn Football Club started as the Chicago Football Club in 1924.

Heritage listings

Kilburn has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

  • Churchill Road: Islington Railway Workshops Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office
  • Churchill Road: Islington Railway Workshops Fabrication Shop
  • Churchill Road: Islington Railway Workshops Foundry
  • Churchill Road: Islington Railway Workshops Apprentice School
  • Churchill Road: Islington Railway Workshops Electrical Shop
  • Churchill Road: Islington Railway Workshops Fabrication Shop Annex
  • 498 Churchill Road: Tubemakers Administration Building No. 2
  • 500 Churchill Road: Tubemakers Administration Building No. 1

See also

External links

34°51′40″S 138°35′49″E/34.861°S 138.597°E/ -34.861; 138.597